Retro Rewind: Jet Set Radio.

It's whimsical, stylish, edgy, and the premise is fun: rollerblade your way though the streets of Tokyo tagging cars and walls with graffiti while outrunning the cops and crowding out rival skaters, all while listening to hot beats served up by a mysterious DJ known as Professor K on his pirate music station Jet Set Radio. In short, this game is about hip style, hot music and juvenile fun.

So why the auxiliary verb in the opening of my blog? I mean, what's not to love about Jet Set Radio??? The controls, that's what.

This game has some of the most frustrating controls I've ever come across. They're terribly inconsistent, which not only eats into the time it takes you to complete a stage (all missions are timed), but ruins the basic rhythm of the game. That's a shame, because when the controls capriciously decide to work in your favor, Jet Set Radio is a fun little retro game. You can grind on just about any surface, which allows you to set up combos that are not only satisfying to pull off, but are super fun to watch. The art style and music are also part of what makes the game so endearing: colorful cell-shaded visuals and thumping hip-hop beats keep the mood light and festive. If nothing else, Jet Set Radio is a celebration of style, which this game has in spades.

Alas, it's only superficially enjoyable, because the game never quite manages to accomplish what it sets out to do. It's seriously unfun to have to try and repeat the same combo over and over again because the line of sight is hard to follow, or a jump is hard to gauge, or the game refuses to acknowledge you're toggling the left analag stick. It's unclear why more than a decade after the game's original release the obstinate controls have yet to be conquered, but whatever the reason may be, the fact remains that the gameplay is still (ironically) the one thing keeping Jet Set Radio from being absolutely brilliant.

As long as it's free on Playstation Plus it's easy for me to recommend the game to people who either already know what they're in for or for younger gamers who missed it the first time around and want to see what they hype is all about. Just be prepared to be both patient and forgiving, because there are times where the only grinding you'll be doing in this game is with your teeth.